Audio seems to get warped

[thesk8rguitarist]

Hey guys, I'm running a podcast and have my other co-hosts record their audio locally and send it to me so I get a higher quality product instead of just recording the incoming mix from Google Hangouts/ Skype.

The problem is when I get the audio, sometimes it's perfect and sometimes it's warped. I always record the Hangouts audio anyway as a backup and use it as a guidepost to line up everyone else's audio. However, sometimes what I get from them and what I recorded on my computer get out of sync multiple times over the course of an hour-long recording.

I've included an example. You can see where the orange backup recording track is against the green track of one of my co-host's audio he sent me. My other co-host audio acts similarly but doesn't go off nearly as much as this green track. Anybody know what's going on here?

I'm using Mac OSX 10.10.5, PT 11.3.1 Recording 16/44.1 and I always tell my guests to record in the same format. Although they use Audacity, Garageband and other programs.

[thesk8rguitarist]

Here's another example where [Purple] goes off course, then the audio seems to fix itself then get off again.

[musicman691]

Make sure everyone is using BWAV format for their audio. Also is anyone using any kind of plugins?

[thesk8rguitarist]

No one is using plugins that I'm aware of. My cohosts don't have any knowledge of audio systems or DAWs.

Is BWAV an export setting or a recording setting within these programs?

[Drew Mazurek]

Clocking.

What you have is basically "lock and release" type of sync. If you did this with picture, it would "drift" in a relatively short period of time. You can't expect 3 different audio systems to stay sample locked for over an hour.

When done properly, synced systems all "resolve" their clocks to a master pulse and adjust as needed to maintain sync.

At least this is my best guess as to what's happening.

[soybalm]

It sure looks like a rate problem. Some cheap hardware is only capable of 48k recording. Also, look at how they are getting their audio delivered to you. I would use DropBox. Back on the rates. Match 2 words up or some music if there is any and check the pitches. There's another use for a test tone.

Could they have edited out some dead air without telling you? Their audio runs faster.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by thesk8rguitarist

No one is using plugins that I'm aware of. My cohosts don't have any knowledge of audio systems or DAWs.

Is BWAV an export setting or a recording setting within these programs?

BWAV is an audio wave format that has time stamping on it and is set in PT's prefs. Don't know what those other programs have to offer for audio waveform output.

Your cohosts don't have any knowledge of audio systems or daws and they're sending you audio? No wonder you're having problems. No audio recording program is plug and play - you really need to learn how to use things.

[MIKEROPHONICS]

I think what you have here is goggle hangouts is a non linear bit rate, I.e it is like Skype and alters its timing and slews the feed according to the data rates. Your recording will perturbate compared to everyone's feeds for this reason. The only way to avoid this is to use source connect, which doesn't mess with data rates. Your handclaps or 3-2-1 counts at the beginning should be enough to science initial sync. After that the drift between you all will be so small over an hour, at least for a desperately mic'd individual feed is concerned. Treat the recorded feed of the hangout as a guide mix to be moved around not slavishly adhered to. If you make your own mic the "locked" source you will have to move the guide hangout mix around, but the individual Feeds should be relatively locked. That's how I remember doing podcasts. Only other way is to all run to a common ref like the atomic clock time signal, or a crystal ref like the ambient click it that you can all jam sync to. How you all get a simultaneous feed of that and whether you all have sync HDs is another question.


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[musicman691]

Originally Posted by MIKEROPHONICS

I think what you have here is goggle hangouts is a non linear bit rate, I.e it is like Skype and alters its timing and slews the feed according to the data rates. Your recording will perturbate compared to everyone's feeds for this reason. The only way to avoid this is to use source connect, which doesn't mess with data rates. Your handclaps or 3-2-1 counts at the beginning should be enough to science initial sync. After that the drift between you all will be so small over an hour, at least for a desperately mic'd individual feed is concerned. Treat the recorded feed of the hangout as a guide mix to be moved around not slavishly adhered to. If you make your own mic the "locked" source you will have to move the guide hangout mix around, but the individual Feeds should be relatively locked. That's how I remember doing podcasts. Only other way is to all run to a common ref like the atomic clock time signal, or a crystal ref like the ambient click it that you can all jam sync to. How you all get a simultaneous feed of that and whether you all have sync HDs is another question.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The last part of your post is, I think, the problem. Not everyone has the same system or even knows how to use whatever recording software they have. Multiple systems, multiple levels of knowledge (zero to barely usable), etc.